New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Wednesday condoled the demise of renowned Hindi author Ganga Prasad Vimal, who died in a road accident in Sri Lanka.

Vimal and his two family members were killed in the road accident in southern Sri Lanka, police said.

The 80-year-old author was travelling along with his family in a van, which crashed into a container truck from behind on the Southern Expressway in Kurundugahahathapma area on Monday night, they said.

"I have just received a very disturbing piece of news, well-known literateur, poet and my friend Ganga Prasad Vimal ji has died in a road accident in Sri Lanka, along with his daughter and granddaughter," 'Nishank' tweeted.

"His death is not only an irreparable loss to the world of literature but also a personal loss for me. May god give peace to the divine souls. My condolences to the grief-stricken family members," he said in another tweet.

Born in 1939 in Uttarkashi, a Himalayan town in Uttarakhand, Vimal held key responsibilities in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and Kendriya Hindi Sansthan in Agra.

He wrote more than one dozen poetry collections, short story collections and novels. His last novel, Manushkhor, was published in 2013. He received several Hindi literary awards.

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